EXP | Kawazu

Kawazu. A quiet, quaint town near the southern tip of the Izu Peninsula. Often overshadowed by its neighbor, Shimoda. There’s a word in Japanese that is often cited as one of the more difficult to translate ones, 渋い (shibui), and Kawazu encapsulates my understanding of that mysterious word perfectly. Low key, sophisticated, like leather and cigar smoke and whiskey and Jazz, but distinctly Japanese.

I was a bit… mentally kerfluflled… when originally writing this, as Kawazu, while by no means particularly well-known, has a pretty strong PR game promoting very specific experiences, including their cherry blossom river.

Now, there's a bunch more to talk about Kawazu (which you can find here), that thar cherry blossom river bears mentioning because it blooms early and is about to go bonkers so you should prepare yourself for a rustic getaway to a very pink, quite quaint, and uniquely relaxing before it's too late!

The Experience: Sakura River

Kawazu's Sakura River is sorta self-explanatory: it's a long, winding river in a pretty rural region that is lined with hundreds if not thousands of sakura trees, all of which bloom surprisingly early compared to the rest of Japan's annual blooms. Usually around early February, when the "normal" bloom for this year in Tokyo is, for example, slated for March 22nd.

It tends to be a relatively popular sight-seeing attraction, and the bloom by itself is quite nice: quiet seaside village, pink reflections on the undulating river surface, petals meandering on the breeze. It's all very shibui, and has certainly given me pause when I've been down to view it.

But it's not just the sakura, you know? It's the yattai with their grilled fare; it's the crisp sea air filling yr lungs; it's the stone and dirt beneath yr feet. It's yr choice of accommodation, and where you eat, and what you take away from the entire experience that surrounds the pretty pink flowers.

And where would you get those experiences? Great question! The answer is... below!